Oklahoma court upholds life prison sentence in woman's death

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the life prison sentence of a 25-year-old man convicted of dropping a cinder block on a woman's head to "put her out of her misery" after he had slashed her with a machete.

The court handed down the decision Thursday for Joshua Andrew Reynolds, who was convicted of first-degree murder by a Tulsa County jury in the May 2013 death of 20-year-old Melissa Ann Lemery of Broken Arrow.

Investigators said Lemery's body had lacerations to the arms and blunt force trauma to the face.

Among other things, Reynolds claimed he was denied a fair trial because jurors heard improper testimony and prosecutors committed misconduct during their closing argument. Defense attorney Kristi Christopher did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.